Attraction
Pyramids of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Khufu, the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure and the Great Sphinx, the last surviving wonder of the ancient world on the edge…
The things to do in Cairo span five thousand years of history, from the pyramids of Giza and the treasures of the Grand Egyptian Museum to the mosques, madrasas and bazaars of the medieval city. Africa's largest metropolis spreads along both banks of the Nile. Downtown, built in the 19th century around Tahrir Square, holds the Egyptian Museum and historic cafés; Islamic Cairo, to the east, is a UNESCO-listed maze around Al-Muizz Street and Khan el-Khalili; Coptic Cairo preserves early churches in the south; and the island of Zamalek is the leafy district of galleries, hotels and bars.
Food is a highlight and very good value. Start with koshari, ful and ta'ameya, the dishes Cairenes eat every day, then try grilled pigeon, molokhia and kunafa, or a contemporary Egyptian lunch with a view of the pyramids. Plan at least three full days: one for Giza and the GEM, one for Islamic Cairo and the Citadel, and one for Downtown, Coptic Cairo and the Nile. Four or five days allow time for Saqqara, an evening show or simply slowing down.
Attraction
The Great Pyramid of Khufu, the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure and the Great Sphinx, the last surviving wonder of the ancient world on the edge…
Attraction
The vast new museum near the Giza pyramids, home to more than 100,000 artefacts including the complete Tutankhamun collection and Khufu's ancient boats.
Attraction
Cairo's original museum of Egyptian antiquities on Tahrir Square, opened in 1902 and still packed with statues, treasures and the burials of Yuya and Thuya.
Attraction
A modern museum in Fustat telling the story of Egyptian civilisation from prehistory to today, best known for its atmospheric Royal Mummies Hall.
Attraction
Saladin's 12th-century hilltop fortress, crowned by the Ottoman-style Mosque of Muhammad Ali, with museums and wide views across the city.
Attraction
Founded by the Fatimids in 970, Al-Azhar is Cairo's great congregational mosque and the historic heart of one of the oldest universities in the world.
Café
The celebrated coffeehouse of Khan el-Khalili, serving mint tea, Turkish coffee and shisha in a mirrored alley since the late 18th century.
Café
A celebrated Swiss-founded tearoom on Talaat Harb Square, open since 1924, where generations of Cairenes have come for éclairs, chocolates and ice cream.
Café
A Downtown café opened in 1908 that became the meeting place of Egypt's writers, artists and revolutionaries, with photographs of famous regulars on its walls.
Café
A Zamalek bakery and café dating back to 1898, loved for its Danish pastries, cakes, cappuccino and hot chocolate.
Café
A much-loved Downtown pastry shop on Talaat Harb Street, famous for its oriental sweets, kunafa, biscuits and ice cream, with queues at Ramadan.
Café
A Zamalek sweet shop from a family business founded in Cairo in 1928, known for tangerine ice cream, kunafa, baklava and Ramadan desserts.
Hotel
A historic five-star hotel at the foot of the Giza pyramids, built around a 19th-century khedivial hunting lodge and set in large gardens.
Hotel
A 30-storey luxury hotel on the Nile Corniche in Garden City, with river-view rooms, a spa, a pool and ten restaurants and bars.
Hotel
A luxury hotel on the Corniche beside Tahrir Square, in the rebuilt former Nile Hilton, with river views, a pool, a spa and the NOX rooftop…
Hotel
A large five-star hotel in Zamalek built around a 19th-century khedivial palace, with gardens, a pool, a spa with hammams and many restaurants.
Hotel
A round tower hotel at the southern tip of Gezira island, where all 433 rooms and suites have balconies overlooking the Nile.
Hotel
A modern 295-room hotel on Tahrir Square overlooking the Egyptian Museum, with a heated pool and an easy walk to Downtown and the Nile.
Bar
Cairo's best-known live music club, open since 2001 in Agouza, with local bands and DJs on stage, cocktails and a food menu most nights.
Bar
A rooftop lounge on top of the Nile Ritz-Carlton with panoramic views over the Nile and Tahrir, crafted cocktails, sushi and DJ sets in the evenings.
Bar
A chic rooftop restaurant and bar on a quiet Nile-facing street in Zamalek, with creative cocktails, steaks and grilled fish and open river views.
Bar
A small, cosy Zamalek pub on Shagaret El Dor Street, popular for its sangria, Egyptian mezze and unpretentious, friendly atmosphere.
Bar
An intimate cultural centre in Mounira presenting traditional Egyptian music, including performances by Mazaher, the country's leading zar ensemble.
Bar
A basement art space and café in Garden City, opened in 2014, hosting live music, open mic nights, comedy and film screenings almost every day.
Restaurant
Chef Mostafa Seif's contemporary Egyptian restaurant inside the Giza archaeological site, named the best restaurant in the Middle East and North Africa in 2026.
Restaurant
Downtown Cairo's most famous koshari restaurant, which grew from a street cart in 1963 into a four-storey institution on Champollion Street.
Restaurant
A long-established Zamalek restaurant serving classic Egyptian home-style dishes in a dim, lantern-lit dining room filled with carpets and antique furniture.
Restaurant
A colourful Zamalek café that reinvents Egyptian street food, from fava bean ta'ameya in baladi bread to koshari and grilled corn desserts.
Restaurant
A family-run Giza courtyard restaurant known for decades for its charcoal-grilled chicken, quail, mezze and freshly baked bread.
Restaurant
The Egyptian restaurant of the Four Seasons Nile Plaza, serving refined regional dishes and buffets overlooking the Nile in Garden City.
Thing to do
Cairo's great historic bazaar, a maze of lanes selling lanterns, spices, brass and jewellery around a khan founded in the 1380s.
Thing to do
The main street of Fatimid Cairo, a kilometre-long walk from Bab al-Futuh to Bab Zuweila lined with Mamluk mosques, madrasas, palaces and fountains.
Thing to do
A 30-hectare landscaped park on a former rubbish mound above Islamic Cairo, with gardens, cafés and some of the best sunset views of the old city's…
Thing to do
A 187-metre lattice tower on Gezira island, completed in 1961, with an open-air observation deck giving 360-degree views over the Nile and the city.
Thing to do
An evening performance of Egyptian Sufi-inspired whirling dance and live music in the courtyard of a restored merchants' hall from 1505.
Tour operator
A Cairo food tour company founded in 2016 by two Egyptian women, leading small-group walking tours through Downtown's street food and local eateries.
Tour operator
One of Egypt's longest-established tour operators, founded in 1955, offering guided Cairo day tours, Nile cruises and multi-day trips with licensed local guides.
Tour operator
A licensed Egyptian travel company with offices on Pyramids Street, running Cairo day tours, Nile cruises and tailor-made trips across Egypt.
Tour operator
An Egyptian tour company running private day tours of Cairo and Giza since 2005, alongside Nile cruises and multi-day packages around the country.
Tour operator
Guided walking tours of Downtown Cairo's belle époque streets, squares, passageways and cafés, exploring the district's history and its ongoing revival.
Three full days cover Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, Islamic Cairo and the Citadel, and Downtown and Coptic Cairo; four or five days allow day trips to Saqqara and more relaxed evenings.
Zamalek and Garden City are calm and central, Downtown puts you next to the Egyptian Museum and the metro, and Giza is best if your priority is the pyramids and the GEM.
From Cairo International Airport, take a pre-booked transfer, an official taxi or a ride-hailing car; the journey to Downtown or Zamalek usually takes 45 minutes to over an hour depending on traffic.
Cairo is generally good value, with cheap street food and transport, although entry tickets to major sites and luxury hotels are priced at international levels.
Most visits are trouble-free; the main nuisances are traffic, touts and overcharging, so use ride-hailing apps, agree prices in advance and check your government's travel advice before you go.